selfless

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

English self

Proto-Indo-European *lewh₁-

Proto-Indo-European *lewHs-der.

Proto-Germanic *leusaną

Proto-Germanic *lausaz

Proto-Germanic *-lausaz

Proto-West Germanic *-laus

Old English -lēas

Middle English -les

English -less

English selfless

From self + -less.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

selfless (comparative more selfless, superlative most selfless)

1. Having, exhibiting or motivated by no concern for oneself but for others; unselfish.

   In a selfless act of gratitude for saving his mother's life, Peter committed to giving money to his local breast cancer charity each year for the rest of his life.

   • 2011 October 3, Natalie Angier, “The Pathological Altruist Gives Till Someone Hurts”, in The New York Times‎^[1]:

     Because a certain degree of selfless behavior is essential to the smooth performance of any human group, selflessness run amok can crop up in political contexts.

Derived terms

• selfless dependent
• selflessly
• selflessness

Translations

having, exhibiting or motivated by no concern for oneself; unselfish

• Arabic: غَيْرِيّ (ḡayriyy), إِيثَارِيّ (ʔīṯāriyy)
• Belarusian: самаадда́ны (samaaddány), самаахвя́рны (samaaxvjárny), бескарысто́ўны (bjeskarystówny), некары́слівы (njekarýslivy)
• Bulgarian: самоотве́ржен (bg) (samootvéržen), безкори́стен (bg) (bezkorísten), самоотве́ржен (bg) (samootvéržen), себеотрицателен (bg) (sebeotricatelen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無私 / 无私 (zh) (wúsī), 公而忘私 (zh) (gōng'érwàngsī), 忘我的 (zh) (wàngwǒ de)

• Czech: obětavý, nesobecký
• Esperanto: egoisma
• Finnish: epäitsekäs (fi), pyyteetön (fi)
• French: dévoué (fr), altruiste (fr)
• Georgian: თავდაუზოგავი (tavdauzogavi), თავდადებული (tavdadebuli)
• German: selbstlos (de), uneigennützig (de)
• Greek: ανιδιοτελής (el) (anidiotelís), αφίλαυτος (afílaftos), φιλάλληλος (el) (filállilos), αλτρουιστής (el) (altrouistís)
• Hungarian: önzetlen (hu)
• Italian: altruista (it), altruistico (it), disinteressato (it)
• Japanese: 無私無欲の (むしむよくの, mushimuyoku no)
• Korean: 이타적(利他的) (itajeok), 리타적(利他的) (ritajeok) (North Korea), 사심 없는 (sasim eomneun)
• Kyrgyz: өзгөчүл (özgöcül)
• Macedonian: несебичен (nesebičen)
• Manx: neuhondagh
• Polish: ofiarny (pl), bezinteresowny (pl)
• Portuguese: altruísta (pt), desinteressado (pt) m
• Romanian: dezinteresat (ro)
• Russian: самоотве́рженный (ru) (samootvéržennyj), бескоры́стный (ru) (beskorýstnyj)
• Slovak: obetavý, nesebecký
• Spanish: desinteresado (es), abnegado (es), altruista (es)
• Swedish: osjälvisk (sv)
• Tamil: தன்னலமற்ற (taṉṉalamaṟṟa)
• Turkish: fedakâr (tr), özgecil (tr), özverili (tr)
• Ukrainian: самові́дданий (samovíddanyj), безкори́сливий (uk) (bezkorýslyvyj), некори́сливий (nekorýslyvyj)

See also

• detached